Assistant Commissioner, Within The Division Of Mental Hygiene

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City's yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency's five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:

1. To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a "response-ready" organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods

2. Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness

3. Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women's health

4. Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism's impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene seeks a dynamic leader to serve as the Assistant Commissioner for a newly merged bureau in the Division of Mental Hygiene (MHy) responsible for responding to individual and community-level needs across the lifecycle and continuum of crises, ensuring equitable access to behavioral health resources for all NYC communities to thrive and recover from traumatic events. The bureau will provide direct intervention and connections to care, and engage and support community action to understand community experiences, priorities and expectations for behavioral health services and supports.

The Assistant Commissioner will be responsible a nearly $40 million budget and more than 200 staff, with oversight of data and surveillance, program and field operations, crisis prevention and intervention teams, re-entry support for justice-involved individuals, policy and planning, community engagement and training, and consumer affairs.

• Lead Bureau activities in the areas of policy development, strategic direction, programmatic oversight, research and evaluation, staff leadership, and fiscal/contracting/procurements

• Serve as principal advisor to the Executive Deputy Commissioner, and at times the Commissioner of Health, on all issues related to the Bureau's work

• Actively participate in Division of Mental Hygiene leadership team; partner and collaborate closely with other Mental Hygiene bureaus/offices as well as bureaus across the Department

• Represent the Bureau/Division/Department to mayoral offices, government and non-government partners, including maintaining strong working relationships with constituent groups, providers, and the communities of NYC

• Represent the Bureau, Mental Hygiene and the Department in various forms of public facing events including, public hearings, presentations, town hall meetings, community board meetings, etc.

• Ensure a racial equity and social justice lens is applied to all the Bureau's work

Minimum Qualifications

1.Possession of a valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York plus valid Board Certification issued by the appropriate American Specialty Board in an approved medical specialty; and four years of medical practice including one year of experience in an administrative or supervisory capacity; or

2.A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that listed in "1" above. However, all candidates must have a valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York, and one year of medical practice in an administrative or supervisory capacity.

Preferred Skills

• New York State Licensed Physician, Board Certified in Psychiatry or a Mental-Health related field or PhD in Public Health, Psychology, Behavioral Health, Health Administration, Social Services or related field

• Minimum of 5-7 years serving in executive management positions, preferably with leadership experience in behavioral health, mental health, and substance use prevention and recovery issues

• Experience in utilizing program evaluation techniques or other forms of mental health measurement techniques to assess results and effectiveness of substance abuse intervention techniques and programmatic impact.

• Ability to provide comprehensive oversight of all aspects of Mental Health operations and provide strong fiscal accountability for the delivery of equitable mental health services to clients across the five boroughs of NYC

• Demonstrated history of managing, leading and mentoring experienced staff members, including delegation and oversight of deadlines and operational systems helping them develop their careers by increasing access to learning and development opportunities, and building inclusive teams

• Ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience with intersection of mental health and criminal legal systems.

• Demonstrated success as a strategic leader capable of designing and implementing change in a large program or organization

• Experience creating and implementing new programs with measurable outcomes

• Experience collaborating with community-based organizations

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity and justice through program planning and implementation

• Creative problem-solver who enjoys working in fast-paced environment, highly motivated and able to coordinate multiple projects/tasks

• Superior decision-making skills, including demonstrable critical thinking skills and impeccable judgement

• Experience in program planning and monitoring, including budgeting and staffing

• Highly collaborative, team player able to build effective collaborative relationships across sectors

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including the ability to represent the Health Department in various forums

Residency Requirement

Except as otherwise provided herein, a person serving in a mayoral agency in any of the following civil service or office titles shall be a resident of the City on the date that he or she assumes such title or shall establish city residence within ninety days after such date and shall thereafter maintain city residency for as long as he or she serves in such title: agency heads, including but not limited to Commissioner, Director and Executive Director, First Deputy Commissioner, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, General Counsel, Borough Commissioner, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Associate Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and other senior level staff titles, identified on a list established pursuant to section 2(b) of this Order.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.